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Rio de Vasquez
Introduction Rio de Vasquez is the only child of Mexican immigrants. He was born in Amarillo, Texas and lived a normal life for a toddler. The Vasquez family seemed like a normal family and Rio's father was his biggest fan. He would spend all his free time with the child in the neighborhood they lived. Rio's family held a terrible secret; his father, Julio de Vasquez, was illegally transferring drugs and people across the US border as a coyote and would spend weeks at a time away from home. The life of a criminal eventually caught up with Rio's father when he was shot and killed by Mexican federales during one border hop. His father would never return home and his mother eventually would pack him up and ship him to his Aunt's house. At his aunt's, Rio was constantly reminded how he was thrust upon her and how she did not want to raise the boy. During his youth, he would find that he could stay outside as long as he wanted and no one seemed to notice. After 7 years of slow torture at his Aunt's, Rio waited for her to fall asleep; that night he emptied her wallet and stole her jewelry right before he fled from the home into the deserts of the American Southwest. For the next 6 years, Rio would wander from city to city eating what he could and learning from whichever street urchin would teach him. He became a talented thief and lived from pawn shop to pawn shop. Rio seemed to develop his father's love for the outdoors and would spend his days exploring the dunes that speckled the empty wastes. Right after his 16th birthday, Rio found an abandoned house to crash at and stole from various nearby neighborhoods to eat. During one particular day, Rio decided to go caving and found a cave that seemed to become brighter the deeper in he went. Rio followed the light, not even thinking about the dangers that could lay ahead. At the center of the cave, he found a crystal formation that was so beautiful Rio felt the urge to touch it. He moved his hand toward the glowing rock and suddenly remembered feeling a heat unlike anything he had ever felt before. He then passed out. Hours later, Rio awoke and stumbled into town half dazed unaware of the transformation that had just occurred. His vision waned and he could barely stay awake; in a heartbeat the townspeople, who usually ignored the Spanish youth, began to shriek and yell, "Monster!" Within minutes, the police showed up and attacked the child, but their attacks had little effect. Rio had barely gotten the chance to look at his newly crystallized hand before the military threw him in a containment cell and enrolled him in their "Special" leadership program. Over the next 13 months, Rio made it clear he would not participate in their efforts to make him a soldier. His bad attitude was known throughout the whole facility, and efforts were abandoned before the program was finished. He was shipped to the Academy and given a new handler who watches his every action. The Army hopes Rio will learn to be a man, Rio hopes he can escape this nightmare. Background Personality and Appearance Insecure about his appearance. He has taken a rather brutish attitude towards others since his transformation and was quickly labeled a punk while the Army attempted to train him. He has a tendency to quit or run away when things get tough and can be overly aggressive when people don't listen to him. He is not used to being with others, simple social occurrences can leave him angry or confused. Rio is quick to judge people, and his type casting tends to stick with the nicknames he constantly barrages people with. Powers and Abilities The Crystal that covers the boy's skin has been theorized to be an alien symbiote that feeds off the life energy of others. Many attempts were made to harness the power, but they failed miserably. - Super Durability: The Crystal that covers the boy has proven to be extremely durable. Normal attacks do little damage to Rio, and he has adapted his tough guy persona to fit his new defenses. Unfortunately for the youth, he is still a normal human being under the shell and strong jerking motions (Like concussions) have proven to internally damage him - Energy Drain: With concentration and physical contact, Rio can sap the life energy out of one being and fuel his own body with it. He can use this harnessed energy to make himself stronger or more durable. - Power Bestowal: Rio can take the energy he has drained or stored and pump it directly into others, effectively supercharging their abilities and characteristics. When Rio gives too much of his energy, the Crystal must drain him, causing him to become woozy or even pass out. - Rio has refused to learn any form of martial arts and prefers to fight "His way", which happens to be a combination of pro wrestling and dirty combat moves. He is not above spitting in someone's eyes or biting a target. Drill instructors still have scars from his bites. - Rio cannot remove the crystal shell that covers him, but the shell has shown to have certain life support systems within it. It seems it needs him alive as much as he does. if Rio is badly hurt it will shut down his body and attempt to use the power it has stored to fix it. An occurrence that will leave Rio in a coma-like state until more energy can be drained. Weaknesses Rio must be around other people for his powers to work and for him to stay charged. He can usually sap the ambient energy in the air when people are around but, when alone his power supply depletes quickly. - Rio is still prone to diseases and the common sicknesses that afflict people - Growing up in the desert, Rio is not used to the cold and hates being in it. - His mind is not protected and can be controlled, penetrated, or manipulated. Adventures Alternate Universes Rio of the Broken universe was battered and left for dead in Bogota, Colombia after the Degaden invasion Trivia Notes Relationships Quotes See also Category:Characters Category:Alpha Category:Broken Universe